Tie block



May 10, 1966 w. R. RODMAN, SR, ETAL TIE BLOCK Filed Sept. 28, 1965 INVENTORS. WILLIAM R. RODMAN,SR. BY ROBERT H. RUSSELL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,250,505 TIE BLOCK William R. Rodman, Sr., Exton, and Robert H. Russell,

Norristown, Pa., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 490,973 3 Claims. (Cl. 248-49) This invention relates generally to means for securing conductors or bundles of conductors to a mounting plate and more particularly to an improved tie block.

In making the electrical connections in equipment having complex electronic circuits it is common practice to bind together conductors into bundles and to secure these bundles to the frame or wall of the equ pment. When the equipment is mobile or may be subject to vibration or high accelerations, it is imperative that the conductors be securely fastened.

In the past, straps preformed as split rings, and currently of some 25 different inside diameters have been utilized. An extension of the strap having a bolt hole is used, together with various sized spacers, to secure three or four of these split ring straps by a bolt to the equipment. As conductors are led oil from a bundle it is necessary to utilize an appropriately smaller split ring strap. This arrangement, while providing a suitably secure mount, requires stocking many parts, and, if a change in wiring occurs, necessitates new drawings indicating the change in size of the split ring straps. Moreover, to remove one bundle of conductors, it is necessary to remove the bolt holding other bundles as 'well.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tie block which can be used for mounting conductor bundles of many sizes.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a tie block which eliminates the need for spacers in mounting conductor bundles.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a tie block which will permit the removal of one bundle of conductors without disturbing the others.

In a preferred form of the invention, a molded nylon block having lateral extensions with containing passageways to receive tying wraps is provided. Each lateral extension carries the conductor bundle on an upwardly directed face to facilitate mounting.

One or more of these tie blocks may be secured by a single bolt to an equipment structure, with the integrally molded spacer eliminating the need for separate spacer elements.

The invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the drawings in which:

FIGURE l is an isometric half section of one embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 2 is an isometric illustrating the embodiment of FIGURE 1 in a typical application.

Referring to FIGURE 1, tie block is a molded unitary structure having a central vertical shaft 12 with an axial passage 14 designed to receive a bolt shaft. Wing elements 16 and 18 extend laterally from opposite sides of shaft 12, each of which contains a vertical passageway such as 20. It should be observed that the outer walls of wings 16 and 18 are inclined to present an upwardly directed face. Spacers 22 and 24 on the top and bottom respectively of tie block 10 are also provided. These spacers facilitate the securing of bundles of con ductors to tie block 10 by elevating the wings above the 3,250,505 Patented May 10, 1966 surface on which tie block 10 is mounted, and separating the wings of one tie block from those of another stacked above it. Tie block 10 has been fabricated of nylon, however, other materials of suitable rigidity can be utilized. In addition, although tie block 10 can be most readily molded, it could, if desired, be assembled from separate elements.

The use of the tie' block of this invention will now be described with references made to FIGURE 2. Mounted on plate 30 by bolt 32 are tie blocks 34 and 36. Secured to tie block 34 by Ty Wrap 38 is a bundle of conductors 4t). Ty Wrap 38 is an item commercially available from Thomas and Betts Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Ty Wra-p 38 is passed through passage 42 and around bundle 40 to achieve a snug fit. Ty Wraps have an automatically self locking feature which make them particularly suitable for use with the tie block of this invention; however, another type of tying device such as cord can also be used. A second bundle of conductors 44 is also secured to tie block 34. It should be noticed that bundles 40 and 44 are of different sizes, demonstrating the flexibility of this invention.

Should it be necessary to remove bundle 40 from tie block 34, Ty Wrap 38 is merely severed without disturbing either bundle 44 or tie blocks 34 and '36. Both tie block 34 and tie block 36 are designed to support bundles of conductors on upwardly directed faces to facilitate installation.

While a particular embodiment of a tie block has been shown and described, it will be obvious that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tie block comprising:

a vertical member having an axial passage extending therethrough, wing elements extending laterally from opposite sides of said vertical member, and

each of said wing elements defining a passageway for receiving tying means.

2. A tie block comprising:

a central vertical shaft having an axial passage extending therethrough,

Wing elements extending laterally from opposite sides of said shaft,

each of said wing elements having a wall inclined to present an upwardly directed face, and

each of said wing elements defining a passageway for receiving tying means.

3. A tie block comprising:

a central vertical shaft having an axial passage extending therethrough,

wing elements spaced from at least one end of said shaft and extending laterally from opposite sides of said shaft,

each of said wing elements having a 'wall inclined to present an upwardly directed face,

each of said wing elements defining a vertical passageway for receiving tying means, and

said tie block being an integrally molded nylon structure.

No references cited.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TIE BLOCK COMPRISING: A VERTICAL MEMBER HAVING AN AXIAL PASSAGE EXTENDING THERETHROUGH, WING ELEMENTS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID VERTICAL MEMBER, AND EACH OF SAID WING ELEMENTS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY FOR RECEIVING TYING MEANS. 